voices

[Jon]

So,tell me ex-christians,where do negative voices come from?

Do YOU believe in the spirit realm?

[RogueScholar]

Are you talking about auditory hallucinations? We have good ideas. Blocking dopamine and serotonin receptors in the brain is a very effective way of treating them in many people. Additionally, administering drugs that agonise these receptors can cause hallucinations. A particularly well studied concept is that of the serotonin 2A (5-HT-2A) receptor. There have been studies where we administer drugs that block these receptors then administer drugs that agonise these receptors. In these cases, hallucinations did not occur or were significantly attenuated due to the blocked 5HT-2A receptors that could not respond to the addition of the hallucinatory agent.

 

You see where all the evidence points Jon? As is the case with much of life, a robust mechanism may not be elucidated, but a large amount of evidence points toward certain conclusions. Said conclusions do not support your notions about how the universe works. 

 

How woud an intellectually honest person approach the topic at hand? 

[yunea]

My negative voices (not hallucinations, but persistent thoughts that haunt me) are internalizations of my parents at their worst moments, school bullies, and abuse in relationships. Anti-depressants tame down the worst ones, and the rest I'm dealing with in therapy. Both work much better than any prayer ever did.

[florduh]

Voices? See a doctor.

[pratt]

this guy starts a new topic almost everyday but never responds again,,,,,

 

 

[bornagainathiest]

http://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2016/08/11/voices-joan-arc/

 

The «voices» of Joan of Arc

Caused by epilepsy?

Italian researchers attribute the voices Joan of Arc heard and the visions she saw during the Hundred Year’s War to a form of epilepsy.

Inspired by mysterious “voices” and visions, Joan of Arc led the French army during the Hundred Years’ War, and some medical researchers have been tempted to explain the mystery of her “voices” as the result of epileptic seizures. In particular, Foote-Smith and Bayne suggested in 1991 that the “voices”, visions, and convictions may, in part, be considered ecstatic epileptic auras, as in the case of Dostoevsky.

 

After a strictly semiologic study, focusing on symptoms and possible trigger factors obtained from the documentation of her Trial of Condemnation, Dr. Guiseppe d’Orsi, a neurologist at the University of Foggia, and Paola Tinuper, an associate professor of biomedical and neuromotor sciences at the University of Bologna first  hypothesized in 2006 that the “voices” of Joan of Arc were probably auditory epileptic hallucinations and an expression of an epileptic syndrome named idiopathic partial epilepsy with auditory features (IPEAF). The researchers confirmed that the features of Joan’s spells have many similarities to this form of epilepsy, rather than ecstatic epilepsy.

 

The frequency of Joan’s spells or seizures was variable, from many times per month or week (“It is said to me two or three times a week”, from the second public examination, 22 February 1431) to daily (“there is never a day that I do not hear them”, from the fifth public examination, 1 March 1431). This is not entirely consistent with the researchers’ diagnosis, as IPEAF patients show a low frequency of seizures.

 

Joan’s visual hallucinations, on the other hand, are symptoms of IPEAF, as are seizures during sleep, which Joan of Arc also sometimes experienced: “…I was asleep: the Voice woke me… It awoke me without touching me,” she was reported to have said during a private examination on March 12, 1431.

However, the diagnosis of a medical condition in a woman who lived in the 1400s is extremely difficult: «After six hundred years from Joan’s death, we reaffirm the impossibility to arrive at a final conclusion,» researchers note in their paper.

 

Now, researchers hope to locate Joan of Arc’s letters, which she used to seal with red wax that had “the imprint of a finger and a hair”. If they do, they will then test the DNA of the hair. In recent studies, genes linked to the IPEAF epilepsy type have been detected. This is why, D’Orsi and Tinuper are “still looking for this hair” after ten years from their first hypothesis.

[midniterider]

3 hours ago, Jon said:

So,tell me ex-christians,where do negative voices come from?

Do YOU believe in the spirit realm?

 

From your mom. No, just kidding.

 

I don't really have voice(s) plural, just that one. Sometimes it's a happy voice, sometimes a thoughtful voice, sometimes sad or angry. I can make that voice say whatever I want, too. What I don't have is some sort of secondary personality or secondary voice in my head which is not my own. I'm not schizophrenic. I was a believing Christian for 10 years too. I believed that he was real, though the only 'spiritual' experience I had was a vague euphoria probably attributable to brain chemistry (see bdsm subspace, runner's high, dopamine, etc). Marijuana is a better high.

[TheRedneckProfessor]

Jon,

Hearing voices is perfectly normal and natural... when those voices are coming from actual people who are actually talking.  Otherwise, what florduh said.

Have a good day,

TRP

[BroTom]

What do you mean by spirit realm?  I think I've heard of it before but never had it explained to me

Tom

[disillusioned]

3 hours ago, BroTom said:

What do you mean by spirit realm?  I think I've heard of it before but never had it explained to me

Tom

I'm pretty sure it's a small liquor store in Toronto.

[Astreja]

8 hours ago, Jon said:

So,tell me ex-christians,where do negative voices come from?

Do YOU believe in the spirit realm?

 

I believe that negative voices are generated by the physical brain.  I know that they can easily be imagined into existence deliberately, just an extension of our natural internal dialogue with ourselves.  If they occur spontaneously, they indicate either a temporary problem such as high stress, or a psychosis.  The latter should be brought to the attention of one's family doctor as soon as possible, so that a psychiatric referral can be made.

 

I do not believe in "the spirit realm."

[BroTom]

2 hours ago, disillusioned said:

I'm pretty sure it's a small liquor store in Toronto.

There's a liquor store in Chicago claiming  We cater to all of your spiritual needs

[sdelsolray]

11 hours ago, Jon said:

So,tell me ex-christians,where do negative voices come from?

Do YOU believe in the spirit realm?

 

Please define "spirit realm".  It's difficult to discuss something that is not understood by all, defined or described in such a way that others know what you are asking.

[L.B.]

...what @sdelsolray said.

 

and while you're at it, @Jon, why not try answering this question:

 

What makes your definition of "spirit realm" the one we should trust in this discussion?

 

See, it's kind of like the other question I've asked you several times that you've refused to answer,

probably because you know you don't have a legitimate answer.

[LogicalFallacy]

*Munches popcorn*

 

Oh inside my head I guess, assuming you are talking about internal voices. If start a full scale conversation with them, or think they are telling you to do something please see a doctor.

 

*Continues munching*

[★ Citsonga ★]

Whenever I hear negative voices, it's always from people around me, just like when I hear positive or neutral voices.

 

I've never heard any voices from inside my head, though. If you do, then you really should seek professional help.